August 17, 2020

Fewer people in Texas filed for initial unemployment during the first week without the additional $600 weekly from the federal government, continuing the downward trend observed in the past five weeks, the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University said Friday.

In the week ending August 8, Texas’ initial unemployment claims decreased to a little more than 52,900. That brings the total since March 21 to 3.2 million, according to data from the U.S. Department of Labor.

“Even with the significant fall in claims during the past week, the absolute number of claims still remains high, signaling that the job market recovery has a long road ahead,” said Real Estate Center research economist Dr. Luis Torres. 

Despite the decrease in new claims, the number of Texans who continue to claim unemployment insurance increased the week of Aug. 1 to 1.2 million. This indicates people are facing difficulties finding work.

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